Cosmic Crisis 4
by Nekofeko
Summary: Just when Natalie and her friends thought they had finally attained peace, an ancient evil is resurrected. The world as they know it will fall apart. It is recommended that you read the first three installments to fully understand this one
1. Chapter 1

Cosmic Crisis 4

Chapter 1

--

_Darkness. It pressed on every inch of her body like a lead blanket, threatening to smother her. She did not resist; there was no use. An old, familiar voice spoke to her, and she found the sound strangely comforting._

"_You knew this was coming."_

"_Yes, I know."_

_There was a pause in which she contemplated the answer she had given. Was that really the truth... or, was it just easier to admit defeat and try to forget about everything? She wasn't sure that there would be such a thing as forgetting, now. The voice spoke again, and it was distorted by the weight that seemed to press into her soul._

"_But you didn't stop it?"_

"_I couldn't. Not this time..." _

_--_

Natalie stood outside the living quarters at Capsule Corporation, watching the sun creep closer to the horizon. It was winter, and the evening air was cold and crisp. Every now and then, a few snowflakes would drift into her field of vision, but she suspected that it was likely a result of the trees shuddering slightly, as if they were trying to keep warm themselves. She knew she was probably imagining it, but she could almost swear that this winter was the coldest one yet. Then again, she said that every year.

"Mama!"

The tiny voice pierced her bubble of thought and reality rushed back in. She looked down and saw two flushed faces grinning up at her.

"Kira. Gideon." Natalie spoke, matter-of-factly.

"We built a snow fort. Want to come see?" Kira beamed, her expression full of childlike eagerness and excitement.

Natalie supposed she could indulge her children one last time this evening. "Sure, but only for a few minutes. It's almost time for you two to come inside and warm up before bedtime."

Kira and Gideon groaned in unison, but Natalie remained unfazed. They trekked through the back yard for several paces until she could make out what appeared to be a large pile of snow in the distance. The kids ran ahead, beckoning her to follow. Natalie finally drew close enough to make out the more... defined features. Even up close, it was just a large pile of snow.

"Don't you want to look inside?" Gideon asked, hardly containing his excitement.

She obliged, unsure as to why the kids seemed so beside themselves with glee. As she craned her neck to peer inside the back of the structure, it suddenly exploded outward in an enormous cloud of white. Natalie fell backward and shrieked, throwing her hands up as she was covered in a thick layer of snow.

Then, laughter. The kids... and an adult male. She instantly shot to her feet and shook off as much of the cold powder as she could, glaring forward.

"SIRIUS! What on Dende's green earth are you doing!?"

The tall, black-haired man stood before her, doubled over with laughter. Kira and Gideon flanked him, giggling.

"You should see yourself!" Sirius said as he tried to catch his breath. "I can't believe you didn't even sense me! You really are letting yourself go, aren't you?"

Natalie's temper flared and she moved forward to give her brother a piece of her mind... and a fist in the face. Sirius backed up and ducked out of her reach.

"Mama, Uncle Sirius got you! It was all his idea, too!" Kira exclaimed. Natalie turned to face her daughter, swallowing her irritation.

"Okay, okay... very funny. Kira, why don't you and your brother go inside and start getting ready for bed while I deal with _Uncle Sirius_?" Natalie smirked and glanced over her shoulder at her older brother, who was brushing himself off.

"But we're not even tired!" Kira protested, crossing her arms indignantly. Gideon nodded in agreement.

"It's not up for debate! Your father can help you until I am finished here." Natalie retorted firmly. The two kids decided not to press their luck any further and turned to head for the building, their boots crunching in the snow as they walked side by side.

"You're not really mad, are you?" Sirius asked, then paused thoughtfully. "Oh, even if you are... your expression was worth it!"

Natalie turned back to her brother after making certain that her children were indeed indoors.

"Very funny. Where is your better half this evening?" she asked.

"Ceres? She's working late. I thought I'd come over and pick at your leftovers."

"Leftovers... with a house full of Saiyajins? I hope you're kidding."

Sirius looked slightly disappointed. Natalie slapped him on the back and pushed him forward playfully.

"I'm sure we can find you something. If not, just crash Reena's place, she ALWAYS has something good to eat." she consoled, turning toward Capsule Corp once more. "Let's go inside. I am chilled to the bone, no thanks to YOU."

--

Trunks, meanwhile, was trying to negotiate with his daughter.

"Papa, it's your turn to tell me a story!" Kira spoke in a demanding tone as she curled up under a heavy blanket. Trunks was sitting on the bed next to her. The girl had a point... Natalie had been on story duty for the past week because he had been busy helping his mom with the company after hours.

"Are you sure you don't want me to read you a book instead? " he asked, reaching for something from Kira's large collection.

"No, I like your stories better. Can you tell me the one about the White Angel again?" Kira shifted positions and sighed softly, indicating that she was ready to settle down and drift off to sleep to the sound of her father's voice.

Trunks leaned back against the wall and spoke softly. As Kira became still, her dreaming mind was filled with the story of the beautiful White Angel who had once saved the world from destruction with her legendary power.

--

Natalie walked down the hallway with something nagging at the back of her mind. She passed the door to Kira's bedroom and saw that the lights were out but the door was cracked ever so slightly. As she carefully leaned her head toward the door she could hear Trunks' muffled voice, no doubt telling a bedtime story of some kind. Natalie smirked and then noticed that the light in Gideon's room was still on, but the door was closed. Frowning, she knocked once and then entered.

Gideon was sitting on his bed in his pajamas, staring silently out the window. He didn't even seem to acknowledge her presence.

"Hey." Natalie said, taking a few steps toward him. He turned to face her.

"Hey, mom."

"Is something the matter? You looked like you were in a world of your own." she said, sitting on the floor next to his bed.

Gideon looked away again. "Well..."

She could tell by his expression that he wanted to say something but was debating it in his head. There was a period of uncomfortable silence before Gideon opened his mouth to speak again.

"Mom, is something bad going to happen?" he asked, still gazing out the dark window into nothingness.

Natalie looked positively taken aback. Why in the world would he...

Then, a voice came from the door. "Hey you two."

They both turned to see Trunks standing in the hall with his arms folded, a gentle smile on his face. Natalie promptly stood up and looked down at her son. On cue, he settled onto his back and pulled the covers up to his neck obediently as his mother kissed him on the forehead.

"Goodnight. Please... sleep well." Natalie said, and something Gideon couldn't identify flashed across her eyes. She turned and walked out in silence.

Gideon watched after her, and her words repeated themselves in his mind. _Please sleep well_. It almost sounded as though she had been pleading with him. At that moment he realized that she had never answered his question. Rolling over, he twitched his right eye and the light turned itself off.

--

Trunks put his arm around Natalie's shoulders as they walked down the stairs to their private living room. Ever since the birth of Gideon six years prior, they had added on a small, additional wing to the main living quarters so that they would have a place of their own, separate from where Bulma and Vegeta resided.

"So, now that the kids are in bed..." Trunks looked at her and his lips curled into a crooked smile. Natalie sighed.

"You know that my brother is here, right? I mean, not RIGHT here, but he is here. In the main building. I don't just want to leave him there with... your parents."

Trunks let his arm fall off her shoulder in defeat. If the mood were a little different, perhaps he could bring himself to laugh at the situation: it almost seemed as though there were some kind of divine force working against the two of them having any time alone lately.

Natalie looked up at him and shrugged her shoulders. Just then, the door in the hallway that led to the main quarters flew open forcibly and Sirius strode through, looking irritated. Vegeta followed, brandishing what looked to Natalie like a large chicken leg.

".. many times do I have to tell you, boy-"

Sirius sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yes, I know, DON'T raid the fridge without asking!"

"Damn right you don't! I've been saving this all day, you're lucky you hadn't actually eaten it by the time I found you." Vegeta seethed. Natalie stepped between the two of them.

"Honestly... don't you two have a little more decency!? Barging in on us like that..."

The Saiyajin prince rounded on her. "This has nothing to do with _you_, girl!"

"It does now that you two have forced your way into our living quarters!"

"You only live here because we allow you to, ungrateful brat!"

"Ha! Since when did YOU take over Capsule Corporation!?"

"Why you-"

Trunks grabbed Natalie's arm and dragged her away from his father before any more damage could be done. "Would you two shut up? The kids are trying to sleep upstairs!"

Natalie snapped out of her fury and suddenly looked quite embarrassed. After all these years, she still let Vegeta push her buttons.

Vegeta broke the silence by biting down on his chicken leg. Natalie knew he was doing it to get to Sirius, and judging by the fluctuations in her brother's ki as his annoyance grew, it was working. She moved forward to shove both of them out of her living room but Trunks' grip on her arm remained steadfast. She bristled in annoyance and shrugged him off, then turned and walked back outside and stood on the deck, facing away from them.

"Dad, just for once, could you try to _not_ stir her up? You know how she is..." Trunks sighed, running a hand through his hair in annoyance. Vegeta snorted and swallowed another bite of chicken, much to Sirius' chagrin.

"That girl deserves it, and she knows it... and now she's going to pout outside. Heh, fitting..." Vegeta turned and walked back through the hallway and into Capsule Corp's main living quarters. Sirius slammed the door with telekinesis and then turned to face Trunks, irritation painted all over his features.

"Sometimes I find it amazing that you have turned out as level-headed as you are..."

--

Natalie stood outside defiantly, trying to will her body not to shiver in the piercing cold. She had left without even thinking to grab her jacket, of course. She didn't want to talk to any of them at the moment, not even her husband. In fact, she would be perfectly fine never speaking to another arrogant Saiyajin ever again.

"_That can be arranged..._"

She jumped and spun around, eyes scanning the dark silhouette of the building against the star-splattered sky. Nothing. She slowly turned and looked out at the trees in the yard. Still, nothing. She couldn't sense anyone – or anything - nearby. After a long pause, she reluctantly reached for the handle on the back door and jerked her hand back quickly. It was unusually cold...

There was a muffled voice from inside, and she tilted her head to see a concerned Trunks standing on the other side of the door. The door handle turned and she was whisked inside as Trunks wrapped his warm arms around her.

"Natalie, I know my dad is a pain... but did you really have to run off like that?" He asked, burying his face in her hair. "You're trembling..."

She quickly stood back.

"Yes, it's quite chilly out there. I..." Natalie's eyes darted over the sofa, where her brother was sitting. His blue eyes were locked onto hers knowingly, and her heart leaped. Trunks looked between the two of them, confused. Sirius stood up slowly.

"Carina..."

"Sirius, no." She said firmly, holding her hand up to stop him, but he ignored her.

"Don't do this." He demanded. "What is happening?"

Natalie shook her head fervently. "Nothing. Why must you ALWAYS worry about me?"

"You're being irrational. Put your pride aside and tell me-"

His voice blurred out of her mind as the world spun around her. She could vaguely make out the faraway voices of her brother and husband, but they were drowned out by the roar of the blood rushing through her brain. The scene before her warped and bended into a twisted rainbow of light and color. Hands gripping her shoulders. The feeling of falling, spinning out of control, ground rushing up to meet her...

--

_Darkness_. _Consciousness. _

She could feel the dual sensations of lying on a soft surface and floating in nothingness. As she was trying to discern between the two worlds, something grabbed on and jerked her into reality. There was a burning sensation behind her eyes, and she suddenly realized that someone was hovering over her with a hand on her forehead.

"I think she's coming back," spoke a hushed voice that Natalie instantly recognized as belonging to Trunks. She willed her body to sit but it would not respond to her command.

"Let me look at her." Sirius spoke softly.

Where Trunks' hands had burned into her like fire, Sirius' grip sent chills reverberating into her core, causing her to shudder uncontrollably.

"DON'T!" she gasped.

Sirius pinned her down where she lay and put up a psychic barrier against her. She looked up at him fearfully and his icy blue eyes seemed to glow in the dark as he whispered incomprehensible strings of words. Something twinged in her heart and she was suddenly overcome with a blinding, murderous rage. Lights danced behind her eyes as she struggled against him with everything she had. Then, as soon as it had come upon her, it rushed out of her mind and she fell back into the bed completely drained. The only sound in the room was her slow, steady breathing.

Slowly, like a dissipating fog, her mind began to clear.

"What... just happened?" Trunks finally spoke. "Anyone care to tell me?"

Sirius was trembling himself as he slowly pulled away from his sister and stood up. He had been very lucky to catch it in time. His mind raced as he tried to come up with some sort of explanation for what had happened. He knew what it had been, but why... from where... ?

"Sirius..." Natalie spoke weakly, sitting up and leaning against the wall. The dim light that shone in from the hallway revealed beads of sweat clinging to her forehead. Her eyes were frightened, out of focus. For the first time in many years, he felt afraid.

Trunks cleared his throat to get Sirius' attention.

"She was being possessed." Sirius said quickly, trying to come to terms with the words that had come out of mouth. Trunks' surprised face slowly melted into horror.

"She _what_?"

"You heard me. I don't know who or why. If we hadn't been here..."

Trunks instantly thought of Orion, but he wasn't sure why. That in itself was enough to unsettle him. Surely, that was not possible. Orion was dead, he couldn't do something like that... could he? After all this time?

As if Sirius had read his thoughts (and perhaps he had), he spoke up. "I know what you're afraid of, and unfortunately I can't tell you one way or another who was responsible for this. All I can say is that we are going to have to guard her very carefully for a while. She has lapsed in her psychic training because we have been living in peaceful times. She's vulnerable."

The Saiyajin Prince clenched his fists at his sides. He had grown up with enemy after relentless enemy threatening his home and the ones he loved, but never before had he felt so... helpless. He cursed himself and his lack of abilities... he couldn't protect her like the other Sidrajins could. They had powers that he couldn't even begin to understand, much less try to emulate.

Sirius could feel Trunks' anger growing and looked at him warningly. Without a word, Natalie stood from the bed and stumbled over to Trunks. Before anyone could stop her, she pressed herself into his chest and gripped him tightly. He responded with a strong embrace and she suddenly felt incredibly small in his arms. His protective instincts overtook him and he wanted to find out exactly who was doing this so he could show them a new definition of suffering and agony.

Natalie pulled back and looked up at him. He was relieved to find that she no longer held a dazed, confused expression and was looking more and more like herself again.

"Are you okay?" he asked, noting that even in the dim light her green eyes seemed to shine fiercely with determination, and he chided himself for feeling so helpless. They had always overcome everything together.

She nodded. "Fine. I have a splitting headache, but what else is new?" Natalie allowed herself to laugh for the first time all evening.


	2. Chapter 2

Cosmic Crisis 4

Chapter 2

--

Natalie awoke to voices coming from the lower level of their living quarters. As she stretched lazily and allowed her senses to waken, she noticed delicious smells started to drift into her room. Someone was... cooking? She immediately sat upright and looked over at the clock, running a hand through her brown, tangled mass of hair.

"Damnit!" She hissed as she tripped out of bed and scrambled to find something to wear. She pulled on a pair of drawstring pants and threw on one of Trunks' sweatshirts over her tank top. She muttered to herself as she searched the room for something to tie her hair up and made a mental note to spend the day doing laundry as she stumbled over yet another article of discarded clothing.

Finally shaking off her morning dizziness, she padded down the stairs and suddenly found herself wondering if today was some sort of holiday that she had forgotten about. At her kitchen table sat Sirius, Ceres, and Trunks. Goten was on the floor playing with the kids, and Reena had donned an apron and stood in front of the stove, cheerfully carrying on a conversation with Gideon. When Natalie finally came to a standstill at the bottom of the stairs, they all turned and looked at her.

"Morning Mama!" Kira called from the living room floor where she was wrestling with Tenki, Goten and Reena's son. Natalie laughed nervously as she felt the weight of everyone's stares pressing down on her.

"Good morning, Kira-chan." she said, patting her daughter on the head as she passed by and into the kitchen. "Reena, what... is everyone doing here?"

Reena turned to look at her friend with a gentle grin on her face and spoke in a low whisper. "Well, Sirius told us... you know, about what happened. We wanted to come see how you were doing. I hope you don't mind that I've cooked breakfast for everyone! We were getting hungry..."

Natalie decided to wait until later to lecture Sirius about his actions because her stomach had started growling persistently at the sight and smell of Reena's cooking. "You guys really didn't have to-"

"No, I _insist_! Now go get yourself a cup of coffee and sit down at the table with everyone else while I finish up here." Reena instructed while flipping sausages in a pan. Natalie knew better than to argue and reluctantly filled a mug with steaming black coffee and plopped down into a chair next to Trunks. Sirius and Ceres sat across the table, looking at her inquisitively. Natalie started right back at them and silently sipped her drink. The could sense her irritation and she knew it.

Trunks put his arm around Natalie and laughed awkwardly.

"How did you sleep last night, Nat-chan?"

"Wonderful, actually. Why do you ask?" Natalie inquired, not taking her eyes off of her brother.

Just then, Gideon arrived at the table carrying several trays of food, followed by Reena who was doing the same. Goten, Kira, and Tenki sat down and joined everyone with eager looks on their faces. Right as they were preparing to dig in, the main door swung open and in walked Bulma and Vegeta.

"I'm sorry, guys," Bulma apologized profusely, "I tried to stop him, but he said he could smell something and demanded that we come over..."

"Not now, woman!" Vegeta growled, looking both indignant and ravenous.

Sirius snickered and stood up, folding his arms and facing the Saiyajin in front of him. "Ah, how the tables have turned, Vegeta-_sama_."

"Hah! Don't start with me, boy." Vegeta huffed, staring down the younger Sidrajin prince. Sirius was still bitter about the chicken leg incident, but he would just have to get over it, Natalie thought. The two were in a standoff in the middle of the relatively small eating area, but nobody dared to open their mouth. Nobody, except for the smallest person there.

"Grandpa, come sit by me!" Kira called to him from across the room. She was waving a sausage in the air to beckon him over.

Vegeta narrowed his eyes at Sirius as Natalie hushed Kira and made her sit back down into her seat. "Don't want to argue with the princess, do we?" He made a move toward the table but Sirius stepped into his path. The mood took a turn for the worse.

Natalie bolted up from her seat, knocking the chair backward in the process. "Sirius! Stop it!"

"Yes, listen to the girl." Vegeta said as he nodded toward her. "For once, she makes sense."

This only enraged Sirius further. Suddenly, all of the silverware on the table started rattling. Vegeta took this as a challenge and moved into a defensive position. Before either of them could act on their stubborn rage, Bulma and Ceres simultaneously stepped between them.

"Not at breakfast. If you two want to take it out on each other after we eat, feel free to step outside at that time," Ceres said. Vegeta and Sirius glared at each other for a moment longer before grumbling and taking their seats at the table. As instructed, Vegeta took a seat next to his granddaughter. Two seats down, Natalie eyed him suspiciously, but he blatantly ignored her gaze and focused on procuring more food for himself. Bulma wedged herself awkwardly between Trunks and Gideon, and the entire group of family and friends helped themselves to Reena's cooking.

--

It was snowing, and two figures stood atop a tall building, masked by the falling precipitation. They did not appear to be bothered by the icy wind that whipped their hair and clothes, and instead fixed their gazes downward, toward the expansive city below them. They stood in silence for several minutes before one of them finally spoke.

"This is the place?" The voice was soft, feminine. Long, pale-blue hair fluttered in front of her face but she did not brush it aside. The dark-featured young man to her left offered her a simple answer.

"According to Epsilon, it is."

She signed loudly enough for him to hear over the sounds of the wind and the city. "It has taken us long enough. I hope she's right."

The man smirked. "Don't you dare let her hear those words."

"What will she do? We are too important to her."

"Only for a time."

The girl did not reply.

--

After a satisfying breakfast, the majority of the group had stepped outside into the covered training area to avoid the weather conditions. Goten elected to stay inside with Reena and Ceres to help with the cleanup, and Bulma had retreated back to her own living quarters. Natalie, amid protests from her husband and brother, joined the group outside, followed closely by the kids.

"I'm telling you," she insisted, "nothing is going to happen! I'm not going to sit on the sidelines for the rest of my life waiting for something that may or may not go wrong."

Sirius opened his mouth to argue but Trunks ushered him away. He knew her well enough to know when to give up, at least.

Vegeta stepped up to them and stopped short of where Sirius stood. The Saiyajin prince was easily half a head shorter than the two young men in front of him, but he did not seem to be the least bit bothered by this fact. They stood in place for several moments before Sirius stepped forward, as if accepting a wordless challenge. Trunks knew that his father wanted retribution for the incident at breakfast and that Sirius was prepared to give him a dose of humble reality. Now, more than ever, Trunks wished that Natalie had stayed indoors. He stole a quick glance over at his wife, who was, thankfully, occupied with the children and didn't seem to take notice to their situation.

Sirius and Vegeta turned away and walked silently to the opposite end of the dome, leaving Trunks behind to contemplate the sense of dread that had suddenly come over him.

"I hope you've been keeping up with your training. I don't want an unworthy opponent." Vegeta spoke under his breath as they reached their destination. Sirius heard him loud and clear.

"Don't you think you're taking this a little far, old man?"

The Saiyajin smirked and crouched into a defensive stance. "If I were you, I'd have someone waiting in the medical wing." Suddenly, Vegeta launched himself at Sirius, initiating the battle.

Natalie stepped up beside her husband, who was so preoccupied with the fight that he did not immediately notice her presence.

"What are you doing?" she inquired, and Trunks snapped out of his reverie, looking slightly startled.

"N-Nat-chan! I, er... well..."

She narrowed her eyes at him and then appeared to make a realization. She gasped out loud as she turned her head to face the duel between Vegeta and Sirius. "Trunks! You LET them!?"

"Relax, Natalie, it certainly isn't the first time they've sparred. They're just blowing off a little bit of steam."

"You know that isn't it. One of them is going to end up seriously injured. We can't-"

Trunks grabbed her as she attempted to take off. "Oh no you don't." Natalie remained in place and watched fearfully as her brother and father-in-law battled each other fiercely.

--

Sirius narrowly dodged as a ki blast grazed the side of his face. Indeed, Vegeta had no intention of holding back. They were each fighting for their pride and the stakes were high. Sirius was taking great care to stay on his toes lest he be caught off guard for more than a split second. He could feel the outpouring of Vegeta's frustration and resentment as they seemed to dance around each other in the air. The only advantage Sirius seemed to have was the fact that he was adept at sensing people's intentions before they were carried out, but even he was a little rusty after so many years of peace. Another ki blast snapped Sirius into focus. He wouldn't allow himself to be beaten so easily. Vegeta wanted a worth opponent, and that's what he would get.

After spending so much of his time on Earth fighting against Goku, Vegeta was having slight difficulty acclimating himself to the different style that Sirius displayed. He had long ago observed that the boy in front of him did not have to rely solely on his physical prowess, nor did any of the others of his kind. Vegeta was determined to use that to his advantage this time.

After several minutes of defensive sparring, the two finally began to exchange blows. Vegeta immediately had the upper hand, landing significantly more punches than his rival.

"Perhaps you should give up now and go back to bed before I humiliate you in front of the others!" Vegeta taunted as he landed a hard blow to Sirius' sternum. The younger man's breath caught in his throat but he managed to retaliate with an uppercut. As Vegeta soared backward a few feet, Sirius doubled over and coughed, and a small amount of blood splattered onto the ground beneath him. So, it was getting interesting.

Vegeta was growing increasingly annoyed. He enjoyed a good fight, but he wanted to put Sirius in his place for daring to show such disrespect. He was even worse than that sister of his. Much like their father always had, they had a tendency to rub him the wrong way. Momentarily lost in his own thoughts, he unknowingly let his guard down just long enough for Sirius to sense an opening. An elbow connected to his temple and sent a brilliant array of lights across Vegeta's vision. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground. Impossible...

Sirius stood in place with his hands on his knees, breathing hard and slightly doubled over. It had been a while since he'd had a good spar. He could feel the blood rushing through his veins, the adrenaline coursing through his body, and he was exhilarated. He could see that Vegeta was struggling to his feet, and without thinking, extended his hand to the warrior in front of him.

Then, as if in slow motion, Vegeta's hand was upon his neck. He was tossed like a rag doll across the yard and landed hard, skidding across the rough terrain for several feet before coming to a stop. He didn't even have time to react as he was pounced on and mercilessly beaten by his assailant. Suddenly, a sickening feeling of defeat rained down on Sirius as he fathomed that he had little chance of recovering. Before he could process another thought, the lights went out in his mind.

--

Natalie watched in horror as Vegeta not only gained the upper hand but relentlessly dispatched blow after blow to her brother's body. After a few seconds, she realized that Sirius was not defending himself. _NO!_

Trunks didn't even have time to stop her as she borrowed a trick she had learned from an old friend and threw her fingers to her forehead.

--

Vegeta was so lost in his rage, his lust for vengeance, that he was not prepared when a female form appeared in front of him and sent her fist smashing into his stomach. A trail of saliva shot out of his mouth as his insides lurched and he doubled over in pain. Pain... he snapped his head up and was met with a pair of fierce green eyes. _Her_.

"Stop it!" Natalie screamed furiously. "He is unconscious!"

"Out of my way, girl, unless you want to end up like your dear brother." Vegeta snarled, wiping his mouth.

She wasted no time as she powered up into Super Saiyajin and dug her heels into the ground. Vegeta followed her lead. Trunks arrived at the scene and attempted to break up the fight rather unsuccessfully. His father merely shoved him aside as he lunged toward the girl standing defiantly in front of her brother. What happened next was merely a blur as the two Super Saiyajins faded in and out. Trunks would occasionally hear angry swears or the sound of a fist connecting with flesh, but as he was, he couldn't tell what was actually happening. He abruptly turned and bolted for the building.

Natalie could feel a strange sensation welling up in her chest as she fought against Vegeta. Contrary to what he believed, she was not actually aiming to attack him. She was trying to wear him down enough to snap him out of his blind rage. So far, her efforts had not been very rewarding. Desperation clawed at her mind. What had gotten into him? She knew he was prideful and arrogant, but to beat somebody senseless with no mercy...

It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. She couldn't let him do this. Electricity seemed to surge through her nerves and ignite something deep in her mind. Her eyes burned into him and she could sense his thoughts, his movements, before he made them. All of a sudden, he was no match for her! Laughter erupted from deep within her and she grabbed Vegeta's fist as he attempted to punch her in the chest. He looked up at her in surprise as she reeled back and threw him toward the ground at blinding speed. His impact forced chunks of rock and dirt several feet into the air. Natalie lowered herself to the ground, oblivious to the frightening aura that surrounded her body.

--

Reena and Ceres raced out of the building, followed by Trunks and Goten, and took in the scene.

"You have to do something... I don't know how." Trunks said gravely, noticing that Sirius still wasn't moving.

Ceres put her hands on the shoulders of the two next to her. "I need you two to amplify me. It's going to hurt."

They didn't even have time to argue with her. A numbing pain shot through them as Ceres closed her eyes and reached out to Natalie with her mind. Ceres could see the girl's ki as a brilliant light against a backdrop of nothingness and grabbed onto it.

--

Vegeta was lying on the ground amid a pile of rubble while Natalie hovered menacingly over him. He cursed himself for falling victim to her, but something was keeping him penned to the ground.

Then, without warning, her body jolted and she fell forward, directly on top of him. He attempted to shove her away but she was gripping his shoulders, clawing at him, her ki fluctuating wildly. She dropped out of Super Saiyajin and her hair fell limply to her shoulders. Just as Vegeta thought the episode was over, her head snapped upward and her eyes were narrowed in a loathing glare at something behind him. Quickly following her gaze, he observed the other Sidrajins standing in a formation several meters from the entrance to the building. The blonde girl in the middle appeared to be concentrating on their position.

Vegeta fought back shock as Natalie spoke, her voice sending chills down his spine. She sounded absolutely inhuman.

"So, that pitiful creature wants to play."

She sprang into the air and raced toward them with incredible speed. The desire to obliterate all who opposed her consumed her mind and her nerves twitched with anticipation. This time...

The next thing she saw was the ground. Her thoughts caught up to her body and she realized that she had been thrown down. Looking up, she caught glance of that hateful purple-haired Saiyajin. No, it was Trunks. Trunks had stopped her. She quickly recovered and lunged forward but he grabbed her hands and held her in place determinately.

"I will KILL you!" she spat. Trunks gritted his teeth and forced her back another couple of inches. Blue electricity crackled between them and Natalie shifted her weight in attempt to throw him aside. Instead, he pushed forward and she toppled onto the ground, her back pressing into the rough terrain. He was hovering over her, continuing to grip her wrists in his hands. Wincing in pain, she pleaded with him. "Trunks, let go..."

"Snap out of it!" Trunks shook her violently. Her eyes darkened and she managed to free her left hand, slapping him forcefully across the face. He retaliated by pressing his weight onto her and digging his knee into the underside of her ribcage. She gasped but was unable to draw in air.

A voice was calling to him. "Trunks! Force her unconscious! Knock her out!!" It was Ceres. Trunks forced his eyes shut and tuned out the words. He couldn't...

Her ki expanded explosively and he nearly lost his grip. She took advantage of his distraction and kicked him hard in the stomach, throwing him off of her. She regained her footing and started for the building but Trunks grabbed her ankle. Natalie reeled around to fight him once more but he beat her to it, powering up into Super Saiyajin and blocking her attacks. He looked at her remorsefully. "I'm sorry, Nat-chan..." he said softly, then pulled her toward the ground and, before she could react, elbowed her in the back of the head, just above where her spine met her skull. Her cry of pain was abruptly cut short as her aura faded and she went limp.

Ceres and Reena rushed toward them and fawned over Natalie as Trunks stood back, looking down at his hands in shock. He looked over at the building and saw a shaken, crying Kira clutching Gideon fearfully. Gideon had a stony expression and did not move. Tenki was nowhere to be seen. Trunks walked over to them and picked up his daughter, who immediately buried her face in his shoulder. Gideon continued to stare forward in silence.

Vegeta stepped up beside Trunks but did not look at him. "That girl and her... episodes. Sometimes I think she's more trouble than she's worth." Before Trunks could retaliate, his father stepped inside and let the door shut behind him.

--

When Natalie regained consciousness, the first sensation she became aware of wasn't the dull throbbing in her head or the chill in the air, but the steady sound of someone else's breathing. Despite the aching of her muscles and bones, she sat up and looked to the side. Trunks was sitting in a chair next to her, and Kira was curled up in his lap. They were asleep. A few feet away sat Gideon, who was awake and staring up at her. She didn't like the expression on his face.

"How long have you guys been here?" she asked, taking care to keep her voice down. As she asked this, she glanced around and realized that they were in the medical wing. Her heart sank as she located Sirius at the far end of the room, floating in a rejuvenation tank. According to the small display screen on the front panel, he had a little over an hour left.

"Not very long." Gideon's reply brought her gaze back around to her family. Looking at Trunks again, she suddenly remembered the events that brought them here. That voice in her head... the rage she felt... the way she wanted to kill her own family and friends. "But you're better now, right?"

Natalie looked down at her son. "Of course. I'm all better, thanks to your father." Gideon stared at her for a few seconds but said nothing. She shifted uncomfortably. "Where are the others?" she asked, desperate to beak the silence.

"Talking, in the other room." Gideon stated plainly. "They are afraid."

Natalie frowned. "Afraid? Of what?"

"Of you."


	3. Chapter 3

Cosmic Crisis 4

Chapter 3

--

Natalie sat in stunned silence on top of the medical bed. Surely, it shouldn't have been such a shock to her, but hearing those words come out of her son's mouth so casually...

Indeed, she thought to herself, Gideon had always been a strange child. Far too mature for his age and possessing unsettling wisdom, he did not blend in well with his predominately Saiyajin family, despite the fact that he, too, carried their genes. He held little to no interest in training or competing. Fortunately, due to the circumstances of his existence, nobody really made an issue of it. Even Vegeta managed to keep quiet about it, for the most part. She dreaded the day when that would inevitably change.

The world came back into focus as Gideon climbed onto the bed and sat next to her. Sitting together, Natalie was aware of how small he seemed, and she bit back a wave of guilt and remorse for him.

By now, Trunks was stirring and blinked rapidly to adjust his eyes to the light.

"Nat?" he said, groggily.

"Yes," she replied, noting that Kira was waking as well.

"How long have we been here?" he asked, collecting his wits, looking much more alert, followed by borderline panicked. "Is Sirius alright? Where are the others?"

"Gideon says they are in the other room. Do you need to speak with them?"

"Mama!" Kira's voice was a blend of relief and fear as she jumped into her mother's arms. Natalie soothed her and continued to converse lightly with Trunks. Just then, the doors opened and in walked Ceres, followed closely by Reena, Goten, and Tenki.

"Kira, Gideon... why don't you join Uncle Goten and Tenki?" Reena offered as she approached. "They're going to pay a visit to Grandpa Goku. Don't you want to go?"

Both kids were reluctant to leave, but Gideon especially so. Natalie felt his body tense slightly as if trying to root himself to the bed. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Go on," she nudged gently, "I'm sure you'll have fun."

After a little bit of persuading, the kids followed Goten out the door. Gideon looked back at his mother as the door shut behind him, but she quickly averted her eyes and pretended not to notice. She didn't want him to think that she was worried, and if he had looked into her eyes, he would have known.

Ceres immediately crossed the room to gaze at Sirius through the glass and polymer shell of the rejuvenation tank. Turning back toward the others, she addressed herself to Natalie. "He wouldn't have wanted me to tell you this, but he didn't get very much sleep last night."

Natalie fought back the flush that crept toward her cheeks. "I don't-"

"He was worried. I guess, now, I can see why."

Reena stepped forward. "What exactly did he have to say about all of this? Does he have any ideas?"

Ceres shook her head. "No, not really. All he told me was that someone, or something, had tried to take over her mind. Wouldn't have been the first time that happened, eh?" She tried to lighten the mood but it didn't have much of an effect.

"Well how _can_ we find out?" Natalie asked, standing up from the raised bed, "I don't know about you, but I'd like to put a stop to it."

"That's why we're here," Reena answered.

Trunks decided to enter the discussion. "What can be done in the meantime to prevent this from happening again? From what I can tell, it's just random..."

"No," Ceres interjected, "it isn't quite random. When I linked to Carina's mind, I could feel it. It thrives on negativity and strong emotion, and perpetuates it."

"To what end!? What is the point of this? Some coward trying to hide in the shadows instead of showing his face? What does he want with her?" Trunks demanded.

"What makes you think it's a 'he'?" Ceres asked, frowning. Natalie knew what he was thinking of and pushed it into the back of her mind. The past was in the past, she thought, doing a poor job of convincing herself.

Trunks folded his arms in annoyance. "It doesn't matter, my point is the same. What's the motive behind these attacks?"

Reena crossed the room and took a stand next to the rejuvenation tank. She placed her right palm onto the glass and began to emit a faint glow. On the display panel, several lights began to flash and numbers raced forward in sequence. Then, an alarm sounded and the tank disengaged. Ceres pressed a series of buttons and all of the water was drained away as the door hissed open. Sirius, looking a rather dazed, was helped out.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this," he sputtered, drawing himself up and trying to shake off as much excess water as possible. He briefly scanned the room before his eyes came to rest on his sister. She said nothing as she stared back at him. "You're fine, I see."

"I am, thanks to everyone's help," Natalie replied, looking away. Trunks tried to rub her shoulders but she shrugged him off. "So, we're all here now, let's figure something out."

Sirius raised an eyebrow at her hastiness, but understood it all the same. It was Ceres who spoke first.

"Unfortunately, I'm not sure how we can figure out the source at this point. All we can do is work on a way to block it," she said.

"You didn't get any insight into the attacker when you locked on?" Reena asked, remembering the earlier encounter in the training dome. Ceres furrowed her brow and shook her head.

"No, it was quite hard to lock on in the first place, everything was so erratic."

Natalie shifted her weight and leaned against the bed on which she had previously rested. Her memory over the past couple of days was rather patchy, and listening to her friends talk about things she had done under the influence of another entity was chilling, at best. Learning that it thrived on negative emotion should have been no surprise to her, considering the nature of the first two attacks. What was she to do, keep from getting angry for the rest of her life? She almost wanted another try. Could she contain this thing within herself and figure out its motivation, its origins?

As if sensing her rebellion, Sirius looked at her warningly. He could not directly read her thoughts, but he was adept at sensing people's intentions, a fact that most everyone was familiar with by now. Natalie decided to voice her opinion.

"Why don't we just trap it?" she asked. "Let it invade my mind without making me _lose_ my mind. Maybe then we can figure out what it is and what it wants."

It was immediately made obvious that everyone was against this type of plan.

"Absolutely not."

"What are you thinking-"

"... foolish idea."

"It's too dangerous!"

The chatter dissolved into chaos as everyone began to argue amongst themselves on what would be the best plan of action. Amidst all of the noise, Natalie soon found herself laughing. Eventually the chatter fell to a much more subdued level and then cut off altogether as everyone stood in place, nervous expressions on their faces.

"Is it happening... again?" Reena whispered fearfully.

Natalie's laughter trailed off and she cleared her throat. "It's just... the irony of this situation. That thing feeds on negative energy. Talk about welcoming another attack. Perhaps it will move to one of you, next!"

"She's right, actually," Sirius spoke up.

"So you approve of my plan?" Natalie looked hopeful.

"No. As the past has dictated, you become very erratic and hard to control in that state. We're not going to take any more chances."

There was a swift knock at the door and everyone turned in unison. In walked Bulma and Vegeta.

"I hope we're not interrupting anything!" Bulma interjected. Vegeta stood silently with a scowl on his face. "We were wondering if we could be of any help."

As Reena and Ceres explained the situation to her, Sirius stood in the corner of the room trying to avoid looking in Vegeta's direction. He was feeling a volatile mixture of shame from losing the match so easily, and anger for being beaten down so ruthlessly. He was not in the mood to deal with the Saiyajin Prince's cockiness. To his dismay, his sister took the liberty and shuffled over to where Vegeta stood. He did not look pleased to see her.

"So..." she started, awkwardly.

"Do you need something?" Vegeta asked curtly. It was clear that he did not even want to be in the room, but no doubt Bulma had insisted on his presence.

"I guess not. I wanted to make sure you were alright."

Vegeta looked offended. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because of what happened. I mean, not that you should have hurt Sirius so badly, but... if someone hadn't stopped me..." Natalie trailed off. Upon second thought, she wasn't even sure what she was trying to accomplish. Knowing Vegeta, an apology would be pointless.

"That brat deserved what he got. As for you, I could have handled things just fine had that girl not interrupted."

She fought the urge to roll her eyes at him. For once, she wasn't in the mood to argue with her ornery father-in-law. She had a suspicion that he was just saving face, and somewhere in his mind he knew differently. "Ah, forget it." And with that, she walked away. A vaguely remorseful expression flashed across Vegeta's face, but as soon as it had appeared, it was gone.

Natalie managed to slip out of the room unnoticed and stood in the hallway, her back against the wall. She felt weak-kneed and exhausted now that the adrenaline was wearing off. She halfheartedly toyed with the idea of going to the Son house to retrieve her children, but she wasn't sure if it would be a good idea at this point. She felt a body slide next to hers and looked up. Trunks had joined her.

"Are you okay?" He asked, concern written in his eyes. Natalie simply nodded. "I know I don't have special abilities that let me read minds or sense emotions, but I can still tell when there is something wrong with you."

"Is that so surprising, considering what has happened here lately?" Natalie tried not to sound exasperated with him. "Was it too much to ask, to live out our lives peacefully without someone else trying to take over the world, or my mind? Did I do something in a past life to warrant this kind of thing?"

Trunks said nothing as he took her into his arms.

--

A fire blazed intensely, its radiance penetrating the darkness that surrounded it. A tall, severe woman stood in front of it, deep in thought. Flames danced in her red eyes and reflected off of her flowing ebony hair. She regarded the flames with a silent respect, a mixture of reverence and trepidation. Her body tensed with the knowledge that something was about to happen.

With a rumbling crescendo, an unnerving, ethereal voice seemed to erupt from the fire, piercing the stifling silence. It took her a few moments to realize that the voice was being projected into her mind and did not actually exist outside of herself.

"_That girl continues to resist."_

The woman looked astounded. _That's impossible!_

"_I have no reason to deceive you. Something is driving me out."_

She was very careful to control her thoughts. "You should be able to overtake her... she is a perfect match."

"_That is where you are wrong, Epsilon."_ The voice continued to resonate in her mind. _"I cannot possess the body of the one who already hosts my opposite."_

"My Lord, we searched long and hard to find her, surely she is the best candidate! Not many people can handle the transfer-" Epsilon's voice caught in her throat as she suddenly found herself unable to breathe.

"_Do not defy me! Find a new host body immediately. I will not be so quick to forgive next time."_

The fire suddenly grew in intensity and there was a rushing of wind, then all was silent and still. Epsilon gulped in large breaths of air as her lungs were finally given their freedom again. Pausing for only a few moments to calm her nerves and collect her wits, she turned and disappeared into the shadows.

--

Natalie stood in the yard, facing the woods. She was ankle deep in frigid snow, but she didn't mind. The cold didn't seem to touch her at all as she gazed lazily at the skeleton trees. She felt a warmth radiating from inside her, spreading itself to her extremities. In sharp contrast, a hand touched her shoulder and chilled her to the bone. She quickly turned to see Sirius standing beside her.

"I'm not so sure you should be out here alone like this," he said, folding his arms. Despite his heavy covering, Natalie noticed that he still looked quite cold, pale.

"I don't think it matters where I am, if something really wants to get into my mind," she said plainly, kicking at the snow.

"Perhaps not, but don't you think you should have us around, just in case?"

"No offense, Sirius, but I don't really want you or any of the others around me all the time. You can understand that, right?"

Sirius moved closer to her, and suddenly the cold in the air was made quite apparent. "You're the one who doesn't seem to understand. What are you running from?"

Natalie grew increasingly annoyed. "I'm not running! I just don't want to be coddled by everyone. I'm a Sidrajin too, you know... I can take care of myself just as well as any of you can."

"A Sidrajin who has no idea how to use her power," Sirius said, and gripping her shoulders. "It's infuriating, don't you think? Such a waste."

"What...?" Natalie tried to take a step back, but he was gripping her too tightly. "Sirius, let go."

"Fortunately for me, you're not the only one..."

She suddenly cried out in pain as Sirius dug his nails into her, piercing through the fabric of her clothing and into her skin. She fell to her knees and the snow melted around them, morphing into rivers of blood that flowed into the horizon. The ground shook in horrific spasms that threatened to swallow everything in sight and a deafening roar filled her ears. She tried to power up, but it was useless. She could feel Sirius draining the life right out of her.

Natalie tried to plead with her brother but when she looked up, his face was twisted and distorted beyond recognition. A pair of ghostly white eyes shone fiercely in place of the blue ones she was so accustomed to seeing.

"_There is no place for you here, Tenshi!"_

The ground opened up and she was forced downward into a black void. As she fell, she could see the Earth crumbling around her.

Then, everything came to a standstill. She felt a pair of hands on her face. Cold air rushed into her lungs. Her eyes shot open and a new world came in to greet her. Concerned eyes. Trunks. Reality sunk in rapidly as she realized she was laying in bed. She had been taking a nap. It was a dream. _A nightmare._

"Natalie..." Trunks' voice filled her ears, amplified and reverberating through her throbbing head.

"Trunks... S-Sirius..."

"Carina?"

Natalie turned toward the sound and saw Sirius standing in the doorway, a worried expression written across his face. A feeling of dread bubbled up from the pit of her stomach and she stumbled out of bed, making her way to where he stood, gripping his shirt in her fingers and looking at him intently.

"What in-"

"What's my full name?" Natalie abruptly cut him off.

"Er..."

She shook him. "What is it?"

"Carina Mirabel Lia Sidra."

"What's my favorite food?"

"How is this relevant-" Sirius cut himself off as Natalie's eyes welled up with tears. "Ice cream. I understand, but I promise you, I'm me. You can link with me if you're not convinced. What in the gods' names did you see in your dreams?"

Natalie slowly released his shirt and took a step back. "Nothing."

"Don't tell me it's nothing!" Sirius hissed. "Stop being so stubborn and just-"

"It was just a DREAM!" Natalie shouted, falling back onto the bed in defeat. "It wasn't real."

"Nat-chan," Trunks started, putting a hand on her back, "your dreams tend to be on the, ah, prophetic side."

"Very rarely, and only in the past," Natalie argued, but it was clear that she was losing. She knew she was being difficult. A desperate part of her believed that as long as she didn't take the dream seriously, it would remain just that... a dream. Nothing more. Still, that didn't stop her trembling.

Sirius folded his arms impatiently. "You are potentially putting us at risk by not sharing information. We all need to be aware of what's going on out there." Natalie glared up at him through glistening eyes.

"Just give me some space for a minute, won't you?"

Sirius paused before reluctantly obeying his sister's wish and exited the room quietly. When the door clicked shut, Natalie let out a long sigh and eased herself into a reclining position. Several moments passed before anyone spoke.

"Nat, have I done something?" Trunks asked quietly, not looking at her.

Natalie was taken off guard. "What? Why do you think that?"

"Oh, I don't know... you just don't seem to want anything to do with me lately. I can't help but think that, perhaps, I've done something to upset you."

"Trunks, no. That's not it." she replied, moving closer to him. "It's hard for me to explain. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I just want you to be at peace. If that means taking a break from me, from us, for a while..." Trunks was unable to finish his sentence as she pushed her mouth against his, kissing him with enough force to bruise his lips. He felt himself being pulled down onto the bed with her and did not dare resist as Natalie held onto him with a sense of desperation that Trunks had not sensed from her in a long time.


	4. Chapter 4

Cosmic Crisis 4

Chapter 4

--

Epsilon walked down a dimly-lit corridor that seemed to have no beginning and no end. The sound of her heeled shoes clanking on the stone floor echoed off of unseen walls. Her mind was racing frantically and she could hardly keep up. She had to find a new host body, after wasting precious time searching for that girl who turned out to be useless. Epsilon curled her fingers into a tight fist as a curse escaped her lips. The lost Sidrajin princess wasn't good enough. That hateful girl that everyone always believed to be a prodigy, their_ savior. _She could feel the pressure and anticipation of completing her mission as quickly as possible. They had waited so long... He had promised them glory...

She entered the room where she knew her four would be waiting.

"Epsilon-sama," spoke a young man with fiery, orange-red hair as he knelt before her. The three others who flanked him did the same.

"Get up," Epsilon commanded, and they did. "Omicron," she spoke to the orange-haired one, "I have a new mission for you."

"New... mission?" Omicron looked confused.

"That's what I said! It seems that there is a... problem, with our host."

"That's impossible!" he protested. "She should have been the one. It was foreseen."

Epsilon looked at him and he hesitated, expecting to bear a violent outburst from his mistress. Instead, she seemed simply annoyed. "I thought so. It appears that I was wrong."

Omicron stood tall and folded his arms. "I will find someone new. We were drawn to this planet... the one we seek must be here."

A petite woman with short, blonde hair stepped out from the shadows with an impish smile on her face. "Shall I join you, Omicron?"

"I work better alone, Mu."

"Take her with you," Epsilon demanded, much to Omicron's annoyance. "We are running out of time. Alpha and Gamma will continue their work with the gate points."

Not daring to protest, they nodded in unison and scattered into the shadows to fulfill their duties.

--

Omicron was the first to land softly on the snow-covered forest floor, followed by his partner, Mu. The afternoon was dragging into evening and the low-hanging sun glared off of the snow and ice.

"Where are we even supposed to begin?" Mu asked in an irritated tone. "We came all this way, and now we're starting over?"

"We don't have a choice. I still believe we were led to this planet for a reason, and that the one we seek is probably very close to the princess. There's no other explanation for the what Epsilon saw." Omicron replied.

She folded her arms and scoffed. "Hah! Epsilon and her visions. Trusting in her strange powers is what landed us here in the first place."

Omicron stood very still but did not turn to look at her. "Do not doubt Epsilon. Do not doubt any of what we are doing."

Mu made a face but did not reply to him. Even she knew better. Omicron was Epsilon's most faithful servant and he did not take kindly to complaints or criticisms of their mission. The mission that had gone on so long, Mu couldn't seem to remember anything before it...

"I think we should make contact," Omicron spoke, breaking Mu out of her stupor.

"Contact?"

"With the _princess_," he said, emphasizing his disgust as he spoke that last word.

"Why her? She's no good to us," Mu protested.

Omicron seemed to mull over his thoughts for a while. "Perhaps, someone in her... lineage. They were a powerful family."

"As far as I know, she is too young to have grown offspring, and all of her predecessors are deceased."

"That's for us to find out," Omicron said, and levitated a few feet off of the ground, scanning the horizon. "We do not have time to waste."

"Wait! If this girl is so powerful, why are we showing ourselves in front of her?" Mu asked, but Omicron was already in the air. She let out a sigh of frustration and followed in his wake, taking great care to keep her energy level well hidden.

--

Natalie stood at the stove in her living quarters, lost in thought. Her children had returned home and were sitting at the kitchen table, quietly eating dinner. Trunks was on the other side of Capsule Corporation, helping his mother with company paperwork, and instead Sirius took his place at the table. The atmosphere was very subdued, and Natalie had a feeling that Sirius wasn't very happy with her after the way she had refused to talk to him about her dream.

"Why aren't you eating?" Kira asked, noticing her uncle's lack of provisions.

"Not hungry," he replied curtly.

"No, you don't like mama's cooking."

Natalie looked at her daughter in shock, and then at Sirius, who suddenly looked a bit flustered.

"I never said that!" he protested. "I just don't want anything at this time. Your mother's cooking is just fine."

"Somehow, I don't believe that," Natalie said, smirking as she joined them at the table. "You've just been spoiled by Reena, that's all."

"I think everyone has," he admitted.

"Goten... what a lucky guy he is." Natalie sighed. She picked at her own dinner, which consisted of little more than leftovers she had found and thrown together. With Trunks gone and the strange tension that pervaded, she had not felt up to cooking anything elaborate. Fortunately for her, her children were not particularly picky eaters and happily consumed what was placed in front of them.

Suddenly, Sirius stood upright and knocked his chair backwards, startling everyone. Natalie's heart raced in her chest as she slowly rose from where she sat. "Sirius..." Before she could react, he grabbed Kira and Gideon and shoved them under the table, shielding them with his body. At that instant, there was an enormous explosion which shattered all of the windows and blew a large hole in the outer wall of the kitchen. Natalie was thrown backward several feet and landed on her back, managing to throw a ki shield up just in time to stop the shower of glass and debris that rained down on her.

Once most of the dust settled, Natalie could make out two silhouettes in the space where the wall had been blown out. She immediately jumped to her feet and started for the table, where she could her the muffled voices of her frightened children, but she was held in place by some kind of invisible wall.

"Who are you!?" she screamed, trying unsuccessfully to break through her barrier. Sirius also rose to his feet and the dust settled, revealing their attackers.

"I don't think our identities are of any concern to the likes of you." The orange-haired one spoke, his voice full of malice and disdain for her. "The one who wouldn't accept our master..."

The woman who accompanied him laughed in a high pitch reminiscent of a young child. "Well look at her, she's just a pathetic little thing!"

Sirius' temper flared and he threw up a large shield that encompassed most of the room. "Carina, take the children and hide. Hurry!" On cue, Kira and Gideon scrambled out from under the table and latched onto their mother. Natalie nodded, grabbed her kids, and fled from the room.

"Mama, Sirius!" Kira wailed as they ran down a flight of stairs. "Don't leave Sirius!"

"I'm not leaving him!" Natalie said firmly as she reached her destination: a small, reinforced room in the heart of the basement. A large, heavy door stood as the only entrance into this room, and Natalie pushed it aside with measured difficulty. She turned to her son, who had an awestruck expression on his face. "Gideon..." she faltered, biting back the sickening feeling that was rising in her throat. "Keep your sister safe. Do not leave this room unless absolutely necessary. I will be back for you soon."

Kira immediately started crying in protest but Gideon simply nodded his head and held tightly onto her hand. "Kira-chan, we'll be fine." Natalie kissed them both on the forehead and then left, bolting the door behind her. No sooner had she started up the stairs that another large explosion shook the building.

"Sirius!" Natalie cried, emerging from the lower level and tearing into the kitchen. Her brother was still standing, but his shield was down. He acknowledged her presence but didn't turn to look at her, not daring to take his eyes off of the two people before him.

"Really now, princess," said the orange-haired one, "leaving your children alone to come fight with your mate?"

Natalie's look of confusion was quickly replaced with a smirk. "_Mate?_ What do you take me for?" Her assailant just frowned at her. "Is this why you attacked us? Sirius isn't my mate, he's-"

"Carina, no!" Sirius shouted at her, but it was too late. The words had already come out of her mouth.

At that moment, there was another explosion which knocked the two mysterious warriors off of their feet. Trunks and Vegeta landed next to Sirius, hands outstretched and ready to attack again.

Natalie's heart leaped with joy. "Trunks! Vegeta!"

Trunks turned to Natalie and smiled. "I hope we didn't miss all the fun."

"I'm afraid you did." The two warriors were now levitating in the air, smiles of satisfaction on their faces. Vegeta wasted no time and started after them.

"Where the hell do you think you're going!" he snarled, powering a ki blast in his left hand. Just as he hurled it, they disappeared.

After a moment of silence, Trunks spoke. "What happened? Where are the kids?"

"In the saferoom..." Natalie trailed off. She couldn't fight the feeling that she had just done something horribly wrong.

"Are you alright?" he asked, noting the far away look in her eyes. "Who were they?"

"I don't know," she replied, looking over her shoulder to where Sirius stood with his back to her. He was staring out into the night, unmoving. "I'll go get Kira and Gideon."

"I'll come with you." Trunks said, grabbing her hand. Together they rushed downs the stairs and into the saferoom where Kira and Gideon were huddled together against the far wall. Sobbing softly, Kira tore away from her brother and launched herself into her father's arms. Gideon slowly shuffled to where Natalie stood. He took her hand gently.

"Mom?"

"Eh?" Natalie looked down at him, in disbelief at his calm demeanor.

"Are they gone? Is everyone okay?"

"Everyone is fine... " she said slowly, an image of Sirius flashing in her mind. Gideon stared up at her.

"Uncle Sirius?"

"Sirius is fine!" she said sternly, herding him toward the exit and down the hallway. "Let's get back upstairs and help everyone clean up. Perhaps we can salvage your dinner..."

Trunks, who was carrying Kira on his shoulders, matched her pace. "Nat-chan, I don't think anyone is concerned with dinner right now." He lowered his voice even though he knew the children would hear him anyway. "You were attacked without warning. If Sirius hadn't been there..."

"Yeah, right." Natalie said, ascending from the basement and stepping over a large section of the kitchen wall that had been blown out in one of the explosions The edges were black and scorched as if they had been burned. When she took the time to look around, the wreckage became very apparent. Cold air blew in from the enormous hole where their kitchen once stood intact, and there was a fine layer of dust and debris covering nearly every surface on the first floor. "Trunks, in that case, please take Kira and Gideon upstairs."

Without protest, her husband ushered the kids away. As soon as they were out of sight, Natalie made her way back into the heart of the wreckage to find her brother. She found Vegeta first. He was standing in the hallway, arms crossed, as if he had been waiting for her.

"Those two... what did they want? Are they the ones behind everything that's been happening?" he asked abruptly.

"I wish I knew..." Natalie said, looking to the side. "They were only here for a matter of minutes. They didn't even give their names."

They stood in the hallway without words. Natalie suddenly felt extremely alone and vulnerable. The shock of everything was starting to wear off and she was coming to realize how close they had been, how easily things could have gone horribly wrong. As much as Natalie hated to admit it to herself, Trunks had been right. If Sirius hadn't been there...

Her temper flared. If Sirius hadn't been there? Why hadn't she been able to sense the threat? Was she losing her abilities? Perhaps that's why she had been so easily overtaken by that force, and why her friends had to come to her rescue once again. They always had to save her.

Vegeta directed his gaze toward her. "Oy, what are you worked up about suddenly?"

Natalie hung her head and her hair obscured her face. As hard as she tried to fight it, she was trembling. "Someone like you couldn't possibly understand," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Understand what, exactly?"

"Someone like you..." She slammed a fist into the wall, denting it. ".. to always be the weak one, the one who needs saving. No matter how hard you try, it still isn't good enough. You can't know what that's like."

Vegeta laughed, and Natalie jerked her head up to reveal furious eyes filled with unspilled tears.

"Someone like me!" he said, his tone a mixture of amusement and anger. "You ignorant girl."

She couldn't contain it anymore. "All you ever do is mock me!" she cried, tears flowing down her cheeks in numbers now. "You are the absolute _worst person I know!_"

Natalie reeled her fist back to hit him, but he grabbed her wrist and pinned it to the wall. Leaning in so that his face was just inches from hers, he spoke in a low tone, "Someone like me... knows _exactly_ what that's like." With that, he released her wrist and walked away without another word.

As she watched him go, the ringing in her ears drowned out the sound of crunching glass and metal of someone approaching her. She suddenly felt extremely foolish and longed for nothing more than to turn the clock back and do it all over. When she thought about it, it was no wonder that Vegeta never took her seriously.

"Nat-chan?"

She turned her head and furiously wiped the tears from her face. "What?"

"Ah... Gideon is asking for you," Trunks said, leaning against the wall. He kicked at a few shards of glass that were lying at his feet. He felt himself growing angry as he thought about the two mysterious people who had shown up and obliterated part of his home for no reason, endangering the lives of his family, his children. He looked up at Natalie, who hadn't moved since he entered the hallway. "Did... did Dad say something to you?"

She let out a long sigh and looked up at him, but didn't move from where she stood. "I'm just a fool, that's all." As she explained the situation to Trunks, he smirked softly.

"Nat... you do know that's the story of my father's life, right?"

"Yeah, right. The great and mighty Vegeta? He and Kakarotto-san pretty much rule the universe."

"I'm serious. Dad, as strong as he is, has never been able to match Goku's strength, and Goku has had to bail him out many times in the past. It has haunted him for years, and really hurt his pride. So, he hasn't ever really gotten over it all. If anyone could understand your difficulty, he could," Trunks paused, then laughed lightly, "Not that he would let you know."

Natalie stared at him with her mouth agape and felt even worse than she did before. Of course Vegeta wouldn't tell her something like that, and to top it off, she had made a complete idiot of herself in front of him. "I should go find him!"

Trunks put a hand on her shoulder to stop her. "Trust me, that's not a very good idea right now. Besides, I think Gideon is probably going to start worrying if you don't show up."

"Oh, right. Did you put them to bed already?" she asked, and Trunks nodded. "I'm not sure if staying here is such a good idea right now."

"I don't think it will matter... they'll be able to find you wherever you go. I'm going to call the others and have them stake out here tonight."

Natalie swallowed her pride and decided not to protest this time. Without any further discussion, she made her way down the hallway.

Gideon was sitting up in his bed again when Natalie entered. She sat at his feet and drew her own legs up against her chest.

"Dad said you wanted to see me?"

He nodded sheepishly and looked down at his hands, which were fiddling with his blanket. Natalie noticed that he looked very pale and thin and she hoped it was just an effect of the lighting.

"Those people that came here..." he started, an obvious uneasiness in his voice.

"Don't worry, Gideon. We're not going to let them hurt you or your sister. We'd never let that happen."

"That's not what I mean," he said, looking to the side. "I knew they were coming"

Natalie stared at him, at a loss for words.

"I had a dream about them. There were others, too. They were looking for you."

"Well, they sure found me, didn't they?" Natalie said, trying to lighten the mood. "Dad is going to call our friends over to stay with us tonight, so we'll be extra safe." This fact didn't seem to comfort Gideon, but he nodded nonetheless. "Was there any reason you didn't tell us this before?"

He shook his head and pulled the covers around him. "I didn't want you to think it was stupid... I didn't think you would believe me."

"Not at all, Gideon. Never be afraid to talk to us about what you see."

He paused thoughtfully. "Then, in that case... can you tell me about... Orion?"

Natalie's heart nearly leaped out of her chest and her pulse pounded in her ears. She had to think of something quickly.

"Ah, well... he's, er... he's an old friend. I will tell you about him another time, okay?"

Gideon looked skeptical and slightly disappointed but did not argue with his mother. Instead, he obediently settled into his bed as Natalie bid him goodnight and turned off his light. Once she was in the hallway, she leaned against the wall, her mind a volatile mix of fear and uncertainty. For him to ask something like that so suddenly...

"Everything okay?"

Natalie let out a shriek but quickly slapped her hands over her mouth and cut herself short.

"T-Trunks!"

"Natalie? What's the matter with you?" he asked, drawing close to her. "Did Gideon say something?"

"I... no, Gideon was just..." Natalie ran a hand through her hair, trying to get a grip on herself. "Gideon was just afraid. I reassured him that he and his sister would be fine under our watch. Did you call everyone?"

"Yes... Ceres and Reena are on their way. Goten is staying home with Tenki."

"Good. That's good."

Trunks looked at her suspiciously but wasn't sure whether it would be a good idea to force an answer out of her just yet. "Let's go downstairs and try to clean up. I'll have to get materials to patch the wall until we can properly fix it."

Natalie nodded and walked beside him in silence.

--

The fire danced in Epsilon's eyes as she patiently awaited the return of her subordinates. Something in her had faith in them, and knew that they would return successful. She smiled to herself and knew that her Master would soon be congratulating her on their success. Soon, nobody would be able to stop them.

Just then, she sensed a familiar presence behind her.

"Omicron," she said without turning.

"Epsilon-sama... I have some interesting news that you might want to be made aware of."

She spun around to face him. "Oh?"

"It concerns... the _royal family_." Omicron said. Mu was standing a few feet behind him, her features obscured by the dim light.

Epsilon's eyes widened as she seemed to realize something. After a few moments, a chuckle escaped her lips. It wasn't long before the chuckle was replaced with a resounding, triumphant laugh.


End file.
